Monday, December 11, 2006

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal: On Death Row 25 Years

Mumia Abu-Jamal a former Black Panther and news commentator, has as of December 09th, been on Death Row for 25 years. The evidence in his favor, is an argument in itself against capital punishment. It would be unlikely, that someone who is caucasian and connected, would be in prison, with as much evidence as Mumia has in his favor.

On December 09, 1981 Mumia was driving his cab in Philadelphia, on the corner of 13 and Locust St, when he heard gunshots. He saw people running including his brother. He got out of his cab to help him, and was critically wounded in the chest. Near him was wounded Officer Daniel Fulkner.

WitnessesThe main witness Robert Chobert was given favors by the prosecution in exchange for his testimony. He later denied seeing Mumia at the scene of the shooting.Cynthia White a prostitite, was threatened by police in exchange for testimony.

Ballistics

Officer Faulkner was shot woth a .44 bullet, Mumia's gun is a .38. His hands were never tested for residue.

The Confession

Supposedly Mumia confessed in the hospital. He was shot in the lung. The confession was manufactured at a police roundtable meeting.

The Bigger Confession

In 2001 Arnold Beverly, confessed to being the shooter. He passed three polygraph tests. He admitted to being paid to kill Officer Faulkner. Officer Faulkner was interferring with police graft and payoffs. At the time, the Philadelphia police were being investigated for corruption by three different panels.

This is a brief summary to start the discussion. He was sentenced to die in 2001, only the mass movement of protest around the world stopped the execution. It is time for another.RENEGADE EYE

13 comments:

If the facts are as you outline them RE, then this is a great travesty. The wider issue is that such doubt in and of itself is an indictment of the death penalty. Nietzsche implored us all to be masters of ourselves and not to succumb to the petty ressentiment that resides in the corners of our sickly slavish minds. Only the strong in spirit and character know that vengeance is the sign of a deficient soul. Europe has discovered that long ago...Keep up the fight RE!

The information you cite is largely incorrect. The info about the caliber of the gun the killed Faulkner was ruled a .38 by the defense teams own witness and that is just one example. I would emplore you to look deeper than just the pro-Jamal propaganda before presuming the truth

The transcripts are available at danielfaulkner.comMy blog is at antimove.blogspot.com

It is always amusing (to myself anyway) how this country can rail against the jailing of political dissidents in other countries but does nothing to free its own political prisoners, Mumia is just one example, Leonard Peltier is another.

If either of the two were wealthy and Caucasian neither would be in prison, but both dared to speak out in an effective manner about the injustice that is inherent in this society and as such no amount of evidence to the contrary will free them.

We claim to be the land of the free but some people are more free than others...

Whether innocent or guilty, Mumia has saved at least one fellow 'brother' from the gallows - O.J. Simpson. Mumia's case made it easier for a black jury in L.A. to believe that there could have been a police conspiracy against a black man...

Dear Ren, I think you may have accidentally misread some facts. Mumia was put on death row in 1982. In 2001 federal Judege Yohn overturned the death sentence, however upheld every aspect of his conviction. The point is that he can be put back on to death row at any time. It was mass protests in 1996 and 1999 that prompted his stay of execution. Unfortunetly these protests have been demobilized by reformist faith in "new trials" for Mumia, faith in the same criminal injustice system that framed him.

Tony Allen is a disgruntled ex-Move member who now seeks to discredit anybody who defends Move or Mumia against capitlist state attack. I cannot say anything about Tony's own experiences, those are his own and I have no right to say what he may have experienced, and I am sorry if he was ever personally hurt. However, his politics go right to unapologetic praise of the injustice system and the racist cops who constantly frame up minorities and the poor and defend the property and priorities of the rich.

I just had the thought about OJ Simpson and Mumia. Cop misconduct in both cases and look at the drastic differences in outcome. I do not think that Mumia's case influenced OJ's case however, that was done by the LAPD on a daily basis.